


How to Reveal You're a Warlock

by posterchild



Series: How to Kiss a Warlock [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Anal Sex, Fluff, Gratuitous use of italics, Lots of kissing, M/M, Magic Revealed, Post 5X13, Sex, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-05
Updated: 2013-04-05
Packaged: 2017-12-07 12:30:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/748523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/posterchild/pseuds/posterchild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I- I'll go. I'll never return. Just- I never meant to hurt you, Arthur. I'd never do that." Before Arthur could even conjure up a coherent thought Merlin had disappeared, forgetting to close the door behind him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How to Reveal You're a Warlock

"I was thinking about sending an extra patrol around the lower town in the evening. The thefts that were reported last month don't seem to have improved. What do you think, Merlin?" Arthur asked absently as he signed the mound of reports on his desk.  
  
 

"It's up to you, Sire. You're the king." Merlin replied. Arthur looked up at him skeptically. Merlin was pulling at a loose thread on his jacket uncomfortably. Arthur sighed and put down his pen.

 

" _Mer_ lin, as much as I enjoy the moments when you're actually quiet, you're supposed to be my chief _advisor_. That means you _advise_ me… And how many times have I told you to stop calling me Sire?" Merlin's head snapped up and he hesitated before laughing nervously.

 

"Of course, sorry. I just forget I'm not really a servant anymore. I think an extra patrol is a good idea." Merlin flashed Arthur a smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. Arthur's gaze softened and he rounded the table to pull Merlin to his feet and plant a firm kiss onto his lips, placing his hands onto the smaller man's hips. Merlin sighed and melted into the touch; no matter how bad he was feeling, Arthur always had a way to cheer him up. Arthur had only been courting Merlin for around four weeks, but both men knew without a doubt they were in love. Word had undoubtedly spread through the kingdom that the king shared a bed with his servant come advisor, but Arthur was a fair king, and Merlin was so well liked that it was considered normal. Anyone who thought otherwise kept their thoughts to themselves; Arthur was indeed a fair king, but he wasn't afraid to stand up for something or someone he believed in, and no one wanted to find themselves in the stocks, or worse. It was also common knowledge that the baby Gwen was currently carrying was not fathered by the king, but the child would be an heir nonetheless. Arthur and Gwen were still man and wife, king and queen, and rules were rules.

 

Arthur ran his tongue over Merlin's lip, gaining entry immediately, and pushed Merlin back toward the bed. Arthur and Merlin slept in the same bed, but they had never actually lain together. To Arthur's frustration, Merlin had always been hesitant and they'd never gone further than clothed petting. Truthfully, Arthur was desperate to see Merlin disrobed. He wanted to run his eyes (and his tongue) over as much of Merlin's lithe body as possible. He wanted to make Merlin feel good, and to show his appreciation for his most trusted friend, his partner and lover. It seemed now that Merlin would finally let him. Merlin's knees hit the bed and he fell onto his back, staring up at Arthur with a mixture of lust and (to Arthur's confusion) the same fear he had when Arthur first kissed him. Arthur climbed over Merlin and gently ran his fingertips over Merlin's forehead, a gesture he had picked up whenever Merlin was hurt or afraid.

 

"Are you afraid?" Arthur asked quietly. Merlin swallowed audibly and nodded.

 

"A little. I'm- I'm a little ashamed." he confessed, his cheeks heating up with a blush. He tried to avert his eyes but Arthur gripped his chin gently, turning his head back.

 

"It's okay, Merlin. A lot of people haven't had sex before, less so with another man. Is this why you've been so hesitant all this time?" Arthur kept his breaths even; Merlin was trying to look everywhere besides his face. The last thing Arthur wanted to do was to make Merlin feel embarrassed or inferior; he wasn't. He was the bravest man Arthur knew.

 

"I've done it before, when I was younger," Merlin replied confidently, "I just don't like my body is all." At this, Arthur tried not to laugh, but he couldn't stop his lips quirking up into a smirk.

 

"You're such a girl, Merlin. You're small, but I'm sure you have a _fantastic_ body." Arthur smiled sure and leaned down to press a soft kiss to Merlin's forehead. Merlin let out an agitated sigh.

 

"That's… not what I mean." he replied, pushing Arthur up. He stood shakily and let out a steadying breath before he pulled off his jacket and shirt smoothly.

 

Well, Arthur was not expecting that.

 

Merlin stood still before him, eyes trained on the ground. He reminded Arthur fondly of his younger self, ready to be berated by his father, no doubt for something Morgana had done. But what really caught Arthur's eyes was the expanse of milky white skin that covered Merlin's torso, and the mass of scars that covered his skin. Most were small and insignificant (though there were far too many in Arthur's opinion), but the one that caught his eye the most was the large round mark on Merlin's chest, right over his heart. Arthur swallowed back any comment that popped into his head and stepped forward, taking Merlin's little wrists in his hands and placing an open mouthed kiss to the blemish. He then proceeded to familiarise himself with every other mark on Merlin's torso, tracing the silver lines with his tongue, feeling the skin under his mouth grow hot and salty with sweat. When Arthur was finished with Merlin's front he pushed the smaller man to the bed and lowered him down onto his stomach.

 

"I fully expect you to explain these marks to me, Merlin." Arthur said authoritatively; a voice he reserved only when he was playing king, and when he wanted something from Merlin (and he would _almost_ always receive it). He felt Merlin shudder beneath him as he pulled off his shirt and pushed his face into Merlin's back.

 

"Most are just day-to-day accidents," Merlin murmured shakily, "The big one though, was Nimueh, a couple of months after I came here. She shot fire at me."

 

Arthur paused; he'd never heard of this from anyone. It made him wonder how many other secrets Merlin had kept from him. Suddenly his search of Merlin's body wasn't so sexual; it had become desperate. He peeled his body away and held Merlin still with a solid hand pressed against the top of Merlin's spine. He started at the top, dragging his gaze slowly downwards until he stopped at Merlin's hips. His back was relatively unscathed, save for a couple of marks half hidden by Merlin's breeches. Arthur frantically pulled the offending fabric down and away and his blood ran cold.

 

"Merlin," Arthur mumbled, running his finger over the two scars gently, "Please explain these."

 

Merlin had become very quiet, and he laid stock-still. Arthur realised belatedly that Merlin's breathing had become erratic; not tearful, but terrified. He rolled over, curling into himself defensively.

 

"I- I'm sorry, Arthur. I can't." Merlin replied. Tears were welling up in his eyes and Arthur wanted nothing more than to wipe the tears away, but he sensed that touching Merlin would be a very bad idea. He did however, take a seat by his lover, keeping his body language loose and casual, hoping the pounding of his heart wasn't visible through his chest.

 

"Merlin, those two scars were clearly not an accident. In fact, one of them is clearly a word. I can't understand it; do you know what it says?" A pause, "Did you think I'd never see it?"

 

"I thought it wouldn't be so clear as time went on," Merlin admitted in a whisper, "I know what it means, but I can't tell you. I want to, but I can't. You wouldn't trust me anymore, and I need you to trust me. I don't know what I'd do if you didn't believe in me anymore." The tears building up in Merlin's eyes escaped, and Merlin brushed them away with an angry sniff.

 

"I'd never not trust you. You're my best friend, and I love you." Arthur frowned a little. Why would Merlin ever think that? At this declaration however, Merlin became hysterical. He stood swiftly, putting his tunic on and pacing. Arthur noted with worry that Merlin was hovering uncomfortably close to the door, should he need to make a quick escape. He scrubbed a hand through his hair frantically. Arthur rubbed his eyes and took a shaky breath, "Right now Merlin, the way you're acting, it's worrying me. I can't stand to have strange secrets like this. I trust you Merlin, and I need you to trust me."

 

Arthur saw the moment Merlin snapped; he saw the tension suddenly cause Merlin's shoulders to hunch up impossibly further, he saw the fire that seemed to burn behind Merlin's eyes, and he saw the hurt intermingled with the fire, tearing his heart to shreds. He felt like a confused child and it didn't suit him, just like this anger and tension didn't suit Merlin at all.

 

"The teardrop scar was from a Serket sting," Merlin ground out. His voice was forced and higher in pitch as if his entire body was trying to reject this confession. Arthur was even more confused now.

 

"That's impossible," he breathed, "How could you have survived that?" Merlin curled his long arms around his middle and it looked like he was trying to keep his insides, well, inside.

 

"The second scar, the words, read 'warlock'," Merlin spat, "They're written in the Druid language. Morgana kindly put them there, and it _hurt_. It hurt because it separated me from _everyone_ , even others who have magic. I can't get close to anyone because now I'm branded. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you, Arthur, but I'm not sorry for having magic. I'm not sorry for saving your life countless times. And most of all I'm not sorry that my destiny caused me to meet you. I'm not sorry for loving you." Suddenly all the pieces fit into place and Arthur was stunned into silence with them. Merlin was a wizard. Merlin had magic. All this time, Arthur was being served by a warlock, he'd been fraternising with the enemy for _years_.

 

He was in love with a person of magic, and he had been ever since Merlin challenged him .

 

"I- I'll go. I'll never return. Just- I never meant to hurt you, Arthur. I'd never do that." Before Arthur could even conjure up a coherent thought Merlin had disappeared, forgetting to close the door behind him.

 

Merlin strode down the corridor as fast as he could. He couldn't trust himself to start running, but he was certain he had enough time to grab his horse and get himself as far away as possible before Arthur could capture him and send him to his death. He was so lost in his thoughts however that he didn't realise Arthur was running after him until a strong unclothed arm encircled his waist and pulled him back toward their chambers roughly. Merlin kicked and screamed, cried and begged for his life, but his pleas went ignored. Arthur dragged him back to his chambers and unceramoniously dumped him onto the bed. Before Merlin could say anything more Arthur curled his hand around Merlin's neck and captured his mouth in a bruising kiss.

 

" _Fye_ Merlin, you are an idiot!" Arthur cried. He felt pressure building behind his eyes, and he made no effort to control the tears that cascaded down his cheeks, "I am not my father Merlin! I love _you_ , Merlin, and that includes everything that defines you. Do you really think that I would let you go for something as stupid as magic?!" Without another moment of hesitation Arthur pulled Merlin's tunic over his head and locked their lips together once more. He dimly registered their tears mingling together, but it was foreshadowed by a very hard Merlin pressed against him. They found themselves on the bed once again, Merlin pinned firmly beneath Arthur, Arthur pressing feather light kisses to Merlin's forehead, nose, cheeks, lips, "I want you, Merlin," Arthur murmured huskily, "I want _you_."

 

The admission seemed to spring Merlin into action. The warlock tugged harshly at Arthur's breeches until they were pooled on the floor, and it wasn't long before his own were discarded and Arthur could finally take in the sight of the naked man below him. Merlin seemed to have a newfound confidence which radiated from him and filled Arthur with joy. This was the Merlin he loved, and he never wanted to see Merlin so hurt and broken again. He never wanted to be the person to make Merlin feel like that again. Arthur pulled away for a moment to scrabble around in his bedside drawer for the vial of oil Gaius gave him for injuries. He coated his fingers in the oil and kissed Merlin as he gently pushed a digit into Merlin's entrance. He smiled as Merlin gasped into his mouth and involuntarily bucked his hips. Arthur steadied him with his other hand and inserted another finger, moving them in and out agonisingly slow. Merlin writhed beneath him and he revelled in the fact that he could make Merlin feel this way. Nothing else mattered when he could make Merlin feel this good. God knew, the man deserved it for all he had done, even just the things he hadn't used his magic for. Arthur curled his fingers and felt around until he found what he was looking for. He pressed against Merlin's prostate, forcing a loud moan from him. Arthur pulled his fingers out slowly and used the rest of the oil to cover his achingly hard cock.

 

"Are you ready, love?" he asked quietly as he lined himself up. Merlin nodded hard, curling his fingers around Arthur's biceps. Arthur pushed himself in, unable to contain his groan of "Ye _Gods_ " at the tight wet heat that engulfed him. He inched his way in, bit by bit, until he was fully inside Merlin, who was laying as still as possible, his eyes screwed shut. Arthur brought up a hand to smooth away the lines on Merlin's forehead and Merlin opened his eyes to look at Arthur adoringly. Arthur was taken aback by Merlin's bright eyes for a moment. They were blue as they always were, but he'd never noticed the flecks of gold before. He grinned down at Merlin, who returned the smile warmly, "I love you." Arthur breathed out before pulling out and slamming back in vigorously. He forced his lips against Merlin's once more, their teeth clacking together and bruising their lips as he fucked into Merlin forcefully. He swallowed every whimper and moan Merlin emitted and savoured the pleasure and relief that he hadn't lost his Merlin. He would never let this get away again. Arthur alternated his pace between slow and loving, and hard and needy until he felt a warm tight coil in the pit of his stomach. Merlin's hands were gripping the sheets forcefully by his hips. He was so open like this, raw and undone just for Arthur. Arthur picked up the pace again and suddenly Merlin was crying out his name and coating their stomachs with his cum. It was only a few thrusts later that Arthur felt his stomach uncoiling and his legs shook as he shot his seed deep inside Merlin. He pulled himself out and crawled onto the bed to collapse into a sweaty heap next to Merlin. They cleaned themselves off with an extra blanket and shuffled up the bed to the pillows and under the soft sheets. Arthur grabbed at Merlin and pulled him to his chest, wrapping his arms securely around the smaller man and holding him close.

 

"I wanted to tell you, you know?" Merlin said against Arthur's chest, "I always trusted you, I just didn't know how you'd react. I didn't want it to change anything between us." Arthur tightened his hold around Merlin and kissed the top of his head gently.

 

"It does change things. Namely, your job description, and I'll have to review the laws and speak to Gwen about it. After all, magic can't possibly be outlawed if I have a court sorcerer, can it?" He heard the sharp intake of breath from Merlin, and the shudder that passed through Merlin's body. Merlin tightened his hold on Arthur and Arthur stroked his fingertips gently over the brand on Merlin's back and wiped the moisture away from Merlin's eyes with a small smile, a smile he reserved only for his warlock.

 

"You'd do that for me?" Merlin asked childishly. Arthur barked out a laugh.

 

"I'd do anything for you. Just one thing though, are there any other secrets I should know about?" Merlin considered this for a moment before nodding solemnly.

 

"I can move my ears without touching them." he replied with his signature smile. Arthur laughed and crushed Merlin to his chest, grinning at the surprised and totally unmanly squeak that Merlin emitted.

 

"Shut up and go to sleep, _Mer_ lin!"

**Author's Note:**

> So yeahhh... I kind of wrote this for a friend at something like 6 in the morning when really I should have been asleep. I don't really have a beta for these things so any mistakes and errors are pretty much my fault. It's all gravy though.


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